Editing Bird bath (section)

== Description ==
A bird bath (or birdbath)<ref name="M-W">{{cite web |title=birdbath |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birdbath |access-date=22 May 2018 |website=Merriam-Webster.com |archive-date=23 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523100834/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birdbath |url-status=live }}</ref> is an artificial [[puddle]] or small shallow pond, created with a water-filled basin. Birds may use the bath to drink, bathe, and cool themselves. A bird bath is an attraction for many different species of birds to visit [[garden]]s, especially during the [[summer]] and [[drought]] periods. Bird baths that provide a reliable source of water year round add to the popularity and "micro-habitat" support.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Provide-Water-for-Wildlife-in-Winter.aspx |title="Offer Water to Wildlife In Winter" from ''National Wildlife'' Magazine 1/6/2010 |access-date=2010-02-12 |archive-date=2010-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210192210/http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Provide-Water-for-Wildlife-in-Winter.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bird baths can be pre-made basins on [[pedestal]]s and [[column]]s or hang from leaves and trees, or be carved out depressions in [[rock (geology)|rock]]s and [[boulder]]s. Requirements for a bird bath should include the following; a shallow gradually deepening basin; open surroundings to minimize cats' stalking; clean and renewed-refilled water; and cleaning to avoid contamination and mosquitoes. Two inches of [[water]] in the center is sufficient for most backyard birds, because they do not submerge their bodies, only dipping their [[wing]]s to splash water on their backs. Deeper or wide basins can have "perch islands" in the water, which can also help discourage [[Felinae|feline]] [[predator]]s.<ref name="Roth usage">Sally Roth (1998). ''Attracting Birds to Your Backyard: A Rodale Organic Gardening Book'', p. 18. Rodale Press Inc., Emmaus PA, {{ISBN|0-87596-892-9}}.</ref>  Elevation on a pedestal is a common safety measure, providing a clear area around the bird bath that is free of hiding locations for predators.  A [[bird feeder]] can complement a bird bath to encourage birds to linger and return.

The early bird baths were simple depressions in the ground. The first purpose-built bird bath was developed by UK garden design company, Abrahm Pulman & Sons in the 1830s.